


A Metal Arm and Hearing Aids

by EvanWrites



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Disabled Character, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-08-18 12:31:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvanWrites/pseuds/EvanWrites
Summary: After the events of Civil War the Avengers are torn up. Steve is heartbroken over Tony, and Bucky is slowly suffocating under Steve's constant worrying. When Steve decides to try and patch things up with Tony he turns to Clint to help him keep an eye on Bucky. While Steve is unhappy to leave Bucky behind as he heads back to Tony's tower, Bucky is more than happy for a break from Steve's constant fussing and questions. Clint isn't sure what to expect, but he's not too worried about it. He's taken in strays before, so this shouldn't be a challenge.





	1. The First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"There's something about him...."  
> **  
>  "There's something about everyone Wanda, what's your point?"  
> "I mean there's something about him that reminds me of you, Clint."
> 
> Bucky and Clint have their first face to face conversation a year or two after the civil war went down. Spoiler alert: They're both awkward as heck. 
> 
>  
> 
> _Hey guys, this is my first chapter after not writing for a really long time. Please be nice about any mistakes I may have made! I hope you all enjoy, and please let me know if you have any suggestions for future posts or writings._

Today was the day that Clint officially met the man whose side he helped during the fight that practically ended his career as a Avenger. Practically? No, it ended it all right. Considering that Tony was holding a grudge over everyone who had sided with Steve and Bucky, no matter who they were or what their reasoning was. Following the rather dramatic events of what happened Clint took Wanda and basically disappeared out of thin air. If he and Laura had still been together he would have gone back home and stayed there for the months that followed. But considering that she probably wanted nothing to do with him or his superhero friends Clint decided against that rather quickly. Instead he happened to come across a small farm house that looked to had been abandoned for a few years.He and Wanda instantly claimed it as their own, and spent their time fixing it up and laughing over ramen noodles and awful cable tv. Clint was more than happy to stay that way, but when Steve called and asked for a favor Clint couldn't say no. Clint can almost never say no to Steve. 

Scratch that, Clint can never say no to Steve. The guy has puppy dog eyes and Clint is already known for taking in strays.

So what was the favor that was asked?

Oh nothing too major. Just watch the man that Clint had basically almost thrown his life away for. The same one that had been a personal frozen ice cube of death for Hydra. The same one that had the news up in a riot for months. The same one that may or may not have killed Tony's parents. The same one that just got a brand new arm made by the king of cats himself.

Yup, Steve asked Clint to watch Bucky while he tried to work things out with Tony. 

Clint wanted to say no. He had enough things to worry about. Wanda was still healing from the massive fight that had happened and Clint was trying to fix up the farm while staying strong for Wanda at the same time. What had happened to her completely broke her trust and frankly her heart. She had already been through enough crap in her life, she didn't need all of that to be piled on top of it. Hell there were days she woke up asking where her brother was, her dreams the night before leading her to forget the awful reality they were living in at that moment. She would always remember a few seconds after asking, then slowly turn away and go about her day as if nothing happened.

Those mornings were the worst mornings for Clint. He always wanted to crawl back into bed and never come out after hearing that question. 

Yes, Clint had enough on his plate to deal with but he just couldn't say no. The main reason he joined Steve's side during the mess was simple. He and Bucky had gone through the same mind washing bullshit. Clint knew, on a much smaller scale, what Bucky had gone through. Tony was quick to forgive him when he killed those people under Loki's control. It wasn't fair that he refused to listen to Bucky's story. Clint learned later that Bucky was the one to kill Tony's parents, but he still felt no sympathy towards the playboy genius. If Tony forgave him, he should have forgiven Bucky. Clint knew that Bucky was still healing from the mind control. And Steve knew that as well. 

That had been Steve's second argument. That maybe, just maybe, he could help Bucky with his issues. Clint nearly scoffed at that. He still wasn't fully healed or over what happened to him, and Loki was only in his head for a few days. Hell he probably would never heal, forced to deal with the nightmares and flashbacks for the rest of his life. Even though he was probably fucked for life Clint realized that maybe he could help. It was worth a shot. And they did need some extra hands around the house.

So he said yes, and exactly one week later Steve is opening his front door with a suitcase in one hand and a smile on his face that was far to cheerful for it being eight o'clock in the morning. Bucky was right behind him, and his expression fit the situation a little better. He had a mix of hesitation and slight confusion on his face as he walked through the door, and it was easy to tell why the confusion was there. Clint and Wanda had been repainting the walls the night before, and things had gotten a bit out of hand before they had given up for the night and gone to bed. 

A giant **CLINT IS A BIRD BRAIN** painted on the wall right above where Clint was standing was just the perfect second first impression, was it not?

"I don't know what you think you're going to do with Tony, but I'll tell you right now it's not going to work." Clint said as he moved forward to take the suitcase out of Steve's hand. Before he was able to grab it Wanda came zipping by, snatching it up within seconds before she moved to take it upstairs. The entire time she moved her brown eyes focused on Bucky. And of course Bucky stared right back. Clint knew right then and there that random staring contests were going to be a thing. Wanda liked to stare at people. And she didn't care if they stared right back. "I don't think he'll speak to any of us again, willingly."

"I need to try Clint. If I can patch things up maybe, just maybe, we can go back to how things were." Steve responded, his smile faltering a bit as he let Wanda take the suitcase. Of course his smile almost instantly returned. He was far to cheerful for his own good, especially after everything that had happened to them. "It's worth a shot at least. And besides, Bucky is probably sick of me breathing down his neck all the time."

Clint just shook his head and glanced at Bucky for a moment, not surprised to see that he had shot a look at Steve that pretty much confirmed what he said. Clint knew that Steve would be all over Bucky the moment they found him. Not in a sexual sense... but a worried sick one. When Bucky turned his head away and looked around the room his eyes almost instantly flicked to the ceiling. As they did his long, dark brown hair fell into his eyes. He instantly grimaced and shook the strands away. Both he and Steve where in decent condition, minus the fact that Bucky really needed a hair cut. Steve was growing a beard, which was not what Clint was expecting at all, and wearing blue jeans, a nice pure white short sleeve top, and a pair of brown boots to go along with it. He looked like your poster boy next door neighbor. Bucky on the other hand was wearing all black. Black sweatpants, black sweater, and black boots that weren't even laced up. He looked like your average teenager that screamed _It's not a phase mom_ every second of the day. Clint would be lying if he said he didn't almost snicker at that thought.

"Don't be surprised if he sends you away with a full holes." Clint had meant it as a joke, but it fell flat. The memory of Steve telling him how Bucky lost his arm replayed in his head. A year or two ago he would have never imagined Tony trying to hurt Steve in anyway. But now... 

"Ah come on Clint, I know he misses my smile. He'll be far to happy to see it to put bullet holes in me." Steve cracked a smile, but it was fake. They both knew that the upcoming conversation between Steve and Tony was not going to be a pleasant one, but it needed to happen at some point. Sooner rather than later would be easier on the both of them. 

With that being said Steve turned to talk to Bucky, and Clint turned to look at Wanda as she came back down the stairs. It was hard to imagine that this was happening. If someone had told him this was how they would end up he would have laughed in their faces and shook his head in disbelief.

 

Tony and Steve were a thing. It was obvious no matter how hard they tried to hide it. The smiles they gave each other, the laughs they shared, the hands that lingered for a few seconds to long... when they finally came out as dating to the rest of the team there was nothing to be shocked about. In fact money changed hands as Natasha, Thor, and even Bruce bet one when they would finally come out. Natasha won that bet, and Clint won his own bet by betting that Natasha would win. She always won bets. It was a fact of life. 

Steve and Tony had their fights, but every couple did. They usually went a few days without talking to each other. Bruce got to hear the ranting from Tony's side and Clint got to hear the ranting from Steve's side. Sometimes he and Bruce would get together and laugh about the silly arguments the two were having. It always ended on a peaceful note though. One of them always apologized, usually it was Steve, and they spent the night probably fucking each other's brains out until one of them passed out. Clint was just happy to see them both happy. 

Then Bucky came back into Steve's life and things flipped upside down. He was obsessed with finding him. Everyone told him to take a break and slow down. Even Clint agreed that Steve needed to not focus so much on finding him. He didn't listen. Clint understood why he didn't listen. It was his best friend. If it had been Wanda in the situation Bucky was in Clint would be lying if he said he wouldn't go after her just as much as Steve went to Bucky. It didn't matter what he thought though, the facts were there. All the ice cube hunting was hurting Steve and Tony's relationship. And it only got worse from there.

 

A sudden hand on his shoulder made Clint jerk out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see Wanda, her eyes focused on him with a gaze that he couldn't read. He could never tell what she was thinking. Her grip tightened on his shoulder as she slowly turned her eyes towards Steve and Bucky. Clint's eyes only followed, watching as Steve softly chuckled and handed Bucky a hair tie.

"There's something about him..." She started to say, her voice a hushed whisper. Clint accidently cut her off. 

"There's something about everyone Wanda, what's your point?" Clint whispered back, wincing a bit as the sharp tone he used. He was already feeling protective over Bucky, and he didn't mean to be rude to Wanda about her statement. Clint was known to be protective of his strays. Or at least that's what Natasha said. Wanda didn't seem to mind the sharp tone as she continued. 

"I mean there's something about him that reminds me of you, Clint." She responded, her eyes flicking back up at Clint as she spoke. Clint didn't look back down at her.

The statement had made Clint freeze up a bit. Most would assume that Wanda was talking about how they both were mind controlled, but Clint knew that her words held a deeper meaning than just some mutual bonding over someone fucking with their heads. Her words were soft, but they still seemed to bring a sudden chill down Clint's spine. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, and he suddenly felt like the air was different in the room. His eyes were focused on Bucky now, just drinking in the sight of him as if he were trying to figure the other male out without talking to him at all. He only tore his eyes away when Steve turned around.

Clint stood up straight as Steve walked over to him, a sad look in his eyes showing that he was not happy about leaving Bucky. "I guess this is good bye for a few months?" Clint said, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly as he stared up at the towering blondie. 

Steve nodded and looked at Bucky for a moment, before looking back at Clint with a look that was unreadable in that moment. It was clear that Steve was not happy about doing this. About leaving Bucky and confronting Tony. But it wasn't like he could bring him with when he went to Tony's place, and it wouldn't be a good idea to just leave the situation alone. Steve needed to do this, and Bucky needed some fresh air away from prying eyes. "I guess so. You take care of him alright? If anything happens please call me-"

Steve was cut off by Bucky himself. "I'll be fine Steve. Stop worrying about me." 

Steve slowly glanced back at Bucky, not convinced at all. Bucky stared at Steve with a look that was all to honest. Clint had doubted that Bucky had even wanted to be there when they first walked through the door, but now it was clear. Bucky was more than alright with being away from Steve for awhile. There was a few moments of silence before he nodded. "Alright. Alright." He turned back to Clint and Wanda before he smiled again. He gave Wanda a quick hug, Clint was a bit jealous at that; Steve hugs were fucking awesome and he rarely got one. Clint received a pat on the shoulder before Steve paused. He quickly leaned down and wrapped Clint into a quick hug as well before pulling away. Clint would have done a fist pump but the situation wasn't appropriate for one. "Seriously though, if anything happens please tell me. You know how to contact me." 

"And you know I won't be contacting you unless the sky is literally falling." Clint responded, flashing Steve a grin as he did. Steve laughed and shook his head. 

"Let's hope it doesn't fall then." He responded, before he turned to look at Bucky.

The hug Bucky got was one that would have probably crushed both Clint and Wanda if Steve had given it to them instead. Steve seemed to squeeze Bucky almost to the point of him using all his strength to do so. Bucky didn't seem fazed at all, and hugged Steve back with the same amount of pressure. They held the hug for a few moments before Steve pulled away. "You keep safe now, alright?I don't want to get a call that punched through Clint's wall or something." Clint would have argued that there were already holes in the walls but Bucky spoke to fast.

"You as well. I don't want to lose another arm ripping a metal suit apart for you again." Bucky responded, earning a laugh from not only Steve, but from Clint and Wanda as well. Bucky gave a slight smirk hearing them laugh, and Clint knew that he and Wanda would have to get him to full blown smile at some point. Steve patted Bucky's shoulder before he headed out the front door, turning to get them all one last wave before he headed off on his newest adventure. Bucky watched him go, his hands in his sweater pocket and his eyes focused on that blue truck as it pulled away.

Steve always left as quickly as possible. He hated goodbyes. Clint knew that he was probably crying as he drove away.

The silence was awkward as Bucky turned back around to look at Clint and Wanda. It was only made more awkward by Wanda suddenly pushing past Clint, standing directly in front of Bucky, and tilting her head. They stared at each other for a few moments, Bucky obviously uncomfortable with being stared at, before Wanda looked back at Clint and shrugged. 

"I'm going to go to riding. I'll be back later." She said, before looking back at Bucky. After another few moments of staring she headed out the front door with a slight skip in her step. 

When they moved in they discovered that their neighbors, who confirmed that the house was empty and no one owned it, had horses. Wanda was curious at first, hesitant to even go near the animals. But when the lady of the house offered free riding lessons it was all over. Clint would sometimes have to drag her away from the pasture just to get her to eat, only to see her heading back out a few hours later to continue her quest of becoming the best rider in the entire world. It always brought him happiness to see her coming back home with a huge smile on her face. 

Now it was just Clint and Bucky, and the situation was even more awkward. There was a few moments of silence before Clint shifted and turned half his body towards the kitchen. "Coffee?" He asked.

He half expected Bucky to say no, but to his surprise the other male almost instantly nodded. 

"Coffee sounds really good right now." Bucky said as he moved to follow Clint into the kitchen.


	2. Stars and Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"Sometimes I wish I was a star."**
> 
> "Why the hell would you want to be a ball of gas drifting across space?"  
> "Being a ball of gas would be easier than this."  
> "But being a ball of gas would also mean you wouldn't get coffee, and that's just a crime against the entire universe."
> 
> It's only been a few nights since Bucky showed up at the farm. So far he's only spoken a few words to Clint and hasn't really left the room he was given. On night three Clint walks downstairs to see his front door open, and he instantly gets a feeling of dread. That dread slowly sinks away when he notices Bucky on the front porch, looking up at the stars with a cup of coffee in his hands. 
> 
> _I'm thinking about starting one shot requests. If you're interested leave a request below!~_

The thought of having a man who use to be nothing but a cold killing machine in their home for more than a night would bring most extreme anxiety and paranoia. Not only was Bucky an ex-ice cube of death, but he also had a high chance of having flashbacks. The kind that would revert him back into the Winter Soldier mindset and have him trying to harm everyone in his path. If Steve had asked anyone else the answer would have been a swift raise of the eyebrows and a quick shake of the head, unless they were allowed to lock him up. And that just wasn't fair to Bucky. In fact it had shocked Steve quite a bit when he agreed to watch the killer ice cube while he went to patch things up with Tony. 

Steve forgot that Clint is not your average deaf guy with a bow and arrow. 

For starters Clint has his own flashbacks and memories to deal with. He also has Wanda's when her mind decides to act up. While Clint has a hard time calming himself down after a nightmare he seems to have a gift when it comes to comforting others. He comforted Steve when he discovered Bucky wasn't dead or Bucky anymore. He comforted Natasha whenever she got that certain look on her face that said she was remembering something difficult. He comforted Bruce when the other male was coming down from being the big guy. He comforted Wanda as she spend nights sobbing into her pillow over her brother's death. Hell he even comforted Thor when the softy whimpered about his brother. Clint had a gift and that gift was making those around him feel safe. 

Secondly Clint wasn't just some deaf guy who happened to shoot arrows. He was a assassin. One of S.H.E.I.L.D's top agents before shit went down. All it would take was one or two arrows to take Bucky down. He would never hurt the other male of course, but the fact was there. Clint knew his farm from the inside out and he knew Bucky would have a hard time taking him on if things came to an actual fight. But there was someone that could take them both on, and win. 

And that someone was Wanda, who happens to really like Clint and would be pretty damn upset if the man they were helping decided to go ape shit and hurt her bird-brain. 

Some would argue that Wanda is the strongest person to ever grace the Avengers. Clint wouldn't dare argue against the statement. He's seen what she is capable of. He also has the feeling that Bucky wouldn't argue about it either. 

It was currently two o-clock in the morning and Clint was wide awake. He wasn't sure what time he had gone to bed, there was no reason to keep track of time for the most part, but he knew he hadn't slept for very long. Maybe three hours at best? With a heavy groan and a twist of his body he was on his stomach, his eyes locked on his phone that was placed next to his hearing aids on the bed side table. 

It had a message notification from Steve.

Clint ignored it, and his hearing aides, as he slowly moved to slide of his bed. 

He knew that Steve was probably asking how Bucky was, and since he didn't have any messages before he passed out he also knew that things weren't going well back with Tony. Steve was never up this late. Or early, depending on how one looked at it. It was two am for Clint, which meant it was five for Steve. Do simple math and it was easy to see that Steve had been up just a few hours ago, which meant that he was either pulling an all nighter or had been woken up in his sleep. Clint had thought about replying, but if he did Steve would have scolded him for being up so damn early. And he really didn't want to be hounded about it. 

As Clint slowly moved down the hall he tightened the string on his sweatpants. Ever since he and Wanda had made it to the farm and realized that they were pretty much safe he had been wearing comfort clothing. All the time. Wanda had to fight to get him to wear anything that wasn't grey, soft, and slightly stretchy. There was still a hole in the wall at the top of the stairs where she launched a pair of jeans at him. Clint was still wondering how the hell a pair of jeans managed to put a hole in his wall.

As he reached the top of the stairs he looked over at Wanda's door. She had decorated it with a collection of stickers and photos. Most of them contained horses or horse related things. Some were secret snapshots of Clint that Wanda had taken then taped to her door to annoy him. Clint always threatened to tear them down, but then Wanda gave him the look she learned from Natasha. Damn you Natasha. One was of Pietro, and it sat right in the middle of the door with a collection of hearts and lightning bolts around it. Wanda insisted on putting the photo there, saying that it made her feel safe. Her brother's eyes watching her door for any signs of trouble and making sure no unwanted guests came in. At least that was Clint's take on it.

Slowly Clint continued to move down the stairs, smiling when he noticed that Wanda's door was open a few inches. For some reason Wanda left it open when she was inside, but when she was away she closed it. Clint didn't understand why, but he never commented on it. He was slightly thankful though, it was easy to tell if she was in her room or not. Clint reached the bottom of the stairs thinking about Wanda's door when he suddenly froze. 

Wanda's door was perfectly acceptable to be left open. What door was not acceptable to be left open was the front door. 

Which was currently wide open to the world and whatever was out there, good or bad. 

For a split second Clint thought he was going fight someone to the death in a pair of baggy grey sweat pants, a black hoodie with a purple arrow on it, and in the complete silence that welcomed him thanks to the fact that he had left his hearing aides on his bedside table. What a shitty way to start the day. 

Thankfully a split second after that thought ran through his mind he noticed a figure sitting on his front porch. Another thought ran through his head, his mind jumping to the conclusion that someone came for him and Wanda and was waiting for backup or something so they could properly take them on. Then he finally remembered. 

Wanda wasn't the only body he was sharing the farm house with anymore. 

Clint nearly collapsed from relief when he realized that it was just Bucky, sitting there in a rather large black sweater with a white mug of coffee in his hands. He was staring directly at Clint, having had heard him coming down the stairs. Thanks to the fact his hair was tied back into a very messy bun Clint could see the questioning look on his face. His eyebrows were slightly raised as he watched the archer nearly have a mini-heart attack. 

With a deep breath Clint put his hand on his chest for a moment, before he shook his head. "You scared the living fuck out of me." He said, his voice just a bit shaky from the shock. "I completely forgot you were here. Thought someone had come for us or something." Bucky was silent for a moment. Well actually he was silent. Clint shook his head, realizing that he couldn't really see Bucky's mouth that well. He had it hidden behind his sweater. He realized then that Bucky probably didn't know he was deaf. Clint put his hand up as he backed up to the kitchen, the sweet smell of coffee drawing him in. "Give me just a second, I don't have my ears in and I need coffee before I socialize properly." He then quickly turned around before he could see Bucky's reaction. 

Once in the kitchen it was rather surprised to see that there was a fresh pot of coffee made. It looked like it hadn't been touched. Did Bucky make more than one pot? How many cups had he been drinking? If it was anymore than what Clint drank then they were in trouble. Clint only had one package of coffee left and neither him or Wanda were planning to go shopping within the next week. Clint quickly grabbed his favorite mug. It was a purple one with a black target on it. He still wasn't sure where Wanda was getting all the purple, bow and arrow themed things. He didn't think he should question it though. 

Clint slowly made his way to the kitchen and onto the front porch once his cup was completely filled up. He sat down across from Bucky, keeping a safe distance between them. He looked up at other male, only to see a very confused glance. For a moment it looked like Bucky had spoken, and Clint shook his head. 

"Pull your sweatshirt down. I don't know if Steve told you, but I'm deaf. I don' t like wearing my hearing aides when I wake up so I rely on reading lips." Clint explained, and the confused look slowly faded from Bucky's face. He quickly pulled the sweatshirt down just enough.

"Sorry." He said, his expression pretty unreadable now. Now it was Clint's turn to give a confused expression. 

"Sorry? What for?" He asked, slightly tilting his head to the side as he did. Bucky looked away for a moment. Clint took that moment to take a rather large sip of his coffee. 

When Bucky turned back he made sure to keep his lips where Clint could read them, which Clint was very thankful for. "Sorry for scaring you. Should have closed the door." Was that a guilty look on Bucky's face now? Oh dear... that was not good for Clint. He couldn't handle the guilty looks. Or pouting. Clint couldn't handle that either and Wanda was using that to her advantage. Clint wondered how many more conversations about horses they would have before he gave in and finally got her one. That pout was going to be the death of him. 

"Ah, no, don't be sorry. It just shocked me. I'm use to only Wanda being around and she usually sleeps like a rock when she finally goes to bed. My mind just assumed the worse thing." Clint sighed softly and took another sip, right as Bucky did. When Bucky was finished he looked away for a second. He said something, quickly furrowed his brows, and looked back at Clint before repeating what he said. 

"She's lucky." Bucky was staring directly at Clint now. It was a lazy gaze, one that said that Bucky was on the same boat as Clint when it came to sleeping. Clint had known instantly what Bucky meant when he had said that Wanda was lucky. She could actually sleep through the night with little issues. Sure there were a few nights she woke Clint up for some much needed comfort time, but compared to him and Bucky she was living in heaven. 

Clint only nodded in response as a comforting silence fell between the two. Bucky looked away and up at the stars, and Clint did the same. He stared at them for a minute or so before looking down, seeing that Bucky was staring at him. As soon as Clint's eyes focused in on the other male he was talking again. He had waited for Clint to look back at him before speaking. For some reason it made him much happier than it should. 

"Sometimes I wish I was a star." Bucky said, glancing back up at the sky as he spoke. Clint wrinkled his nose slightly. 

"Why the hell would you want to be a ball of gas drifting across space?" Clint responded, giving Bucky a confused and slightly concerned expression. Bucky gave a small smile, an actual smile and holy shit did he almost look like a completely different person with a smile, and opened his mouth to speak. There were butterflies in his stomach as Clint stared at Bucky's smile. He was so focused in on it he completely missed what Bucky had said. 

It was the first time he had ever missed something that someone said while staring directly at their lips. Bucky realized that Clint much have missed what he said, because he quickly repeated himself. 

"Being a ball of gas would be easier than this." As Bucky spoke the smile was still there, but it was a sad one now. One that was filled with regrets and worries. It almost made Clint shiver. Bucky had so many emotions just written on his face. The man before him was nothing like the Winter Solider. They were two completely different people and no one could tell Clint any different. The man before him also wasn't the same James Buchanan Barnes that Steve had known all those years ago. Not anymore at least. There were too many years between then and now. Too many events. Too many deaths. 

Too many horrors.

""But being a ball of gas would also mean you wouldn't get coffee, and that's just a crime against the entire universe." Clint said, his mouth shooting off before his brain caught up. He almost regretting saying it since the mood had turned so somber. To his surprise Bucky laughed. He actually laughed. God Clint wished he could hear what it sounded like. 

If the sound was as beautiful as the sight was Clint may have to toss his hearing aides to keep his heart in check.


	3. Betting an Ice Cube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"What if I revert back to the soldier Clint? I could kill you both in your sleep and you wouldn't see it coming."**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> "I'll make a bet with you. If you can make it into room any night this week without waking me up then we'll talk about what if. If you can't then I want you to drop it."
> 
> "Clint, I'm an assassin. Or was. I can do that with my eyes closed."
> 
> "And I'm a deaf man with nightmares that keep him up all night. You won't make it three steps into my room before I have an arrow pointed three inches from your face."
> 
> After a nightmare Bucky is scared that he will hurt Wanda and Clint one day. He also seriously doubts Clint's skills and doesn't believe he would be able to stop him if the what ifs happened.

It had only been a day or two since Clint found Bucky sitting on his front porch with a mug of coffee in his hands. Clint had assumed that maybe things wouldn't be so hard after all. Maybe Bucky didn't even revert back to the solider like Steve had warned in his messages before he showed up with the ice cube. Clint had let himself assume that nothing bad would happen. It was only for a little while, but he had still assumed. And it was very wrong of him to assume that. Very wrong. 

Clint didn't wear his hearing aides while he slept. There was no point. He knew the house. He knew the feelings it gave. There was a reason Clint had taken the room right next to the stairwell as well. He knew Wanda's walking habits. When she walked past his room and down the stairs he could just barely feel the vibrations her footsteps gave as she headed down. It brought him comfort in a weird way. Bucky's walking, on the other hand, was harder to get use to. He was a heavier man, and unless Clint was out cold Bucky always woke him up when he walked past his door and down the stairs. They were heavy steps that were slow. Nervous almost. Wanda's were more energetic. Full of confidence. It was safe to say that Clint didn't need his hearing aides to listen in the old house. He knew all the normal thumps, bumps, and thunks of the house. So when he felt something heavy, something really heavy, hit a wall somewhere in the house in the middle of the night he mentally kicked himself for assuming nothing bad would happen. 

Within seconds he had one of his hearing aides in, he accidently knocked the other one off his bedside table as he rushed to grab them, and was skidding out his door. He didn't even try to find a shirt as he moved out of his room. There was no time for that. Anything could be happening. What if they found him and Wanda? What if HYDRA was coming to take Bucky back? As he adjusted the volume level he saw Wanda slowly peak her head out from behind her door. Clint paused for a moment, judging her reaction to see if he needed to dive back in his room and get his bow and arrow. With tired eyes Wanda slowly looked at Clint, then moved her gaze towards the guest room that had been taken over by Bucky. As Clint finally got the volume on his hearing aide settled he relaxed knowing that they were all safe and no one was attacking them.

Someone was having a bad night though. And as Clint let his hearing aide do his job he grimaced hearing what came from Bucky's room.

Bucky wasn't yelling. Not yet anyways. But he was talking in what could only be mix of Russian and English. He was mixing his languages and it would have been quite humerus if the situation was different. Clint took one last look at Wanda, who looked a little more awake now as she fought to get her messy hair in a ponytail, and headed off towards Bucky's room. He wasn't surprised when Wanda followed. They both knew that there was a chance that Bucky didn't know who, or where, he was. 

As Clint softly knocked on Bucky's door it was clear that Bucky was still in fact Bucky. "Fuck! Just a minute! Fuck... shit... I didn't..." Bucky's voice could be heard. It was strained and rough, a clear sign that he had been asleep as well. There was noise of broken glass being swept up and Clint wondered if Bucky had broken a window. Those were a bit expensive to replace. But as Bucky opened the door Clint was able to see that there were no broken windows. Yet.

The room wasn't all that worse for wear. There had been a large glass vase on the bedside table besides Bucky's bed that was now shattered on the floor. It had hit the wall with such force that it actually left a dent and had cracked the drywall. Clint wasn't upset at either the vase or the wall. The vase had been there when they took the house over and the wall needed to be redone anyways. What he was upset about was the fact that Bucky looked like he had just taken on a freight train and barley came out of it in one piece. His hair was a mess, sticking up every which way with tangles everywhere, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had been wearing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt. Both of which were wrinkled to high hell. He looked exhausted. And even a little scared. 

"I didn't mean to break it... the vase I mean..." Bucky started to say as he opened the door a little bit to show off more of the damage. Clint didn't make any movements to come into the room, and neither did Wanda. The room wasn't all that small, but having both Clint and Wanda inside would probably make Bucky feel trapped. And that was something that would be very bad. "I just... nightmare. I had a nightmare and I just grabbed...

"It's alright Bucky. It's just a piece of glass." Clint hadn't meant to cut him off but he didn't want Bucky feeling bad for it. Clint had been in his shoes. Waking up from a nightmare that was all to real, thinking that you were in a life or death situation. Sam still had a scar from when he tried to wake Clint up after a mission. Clint had accidently stabbed him with a pen he had been holding before he fell asleep. He had felt like shit, but Sam had learned a very important lesson that day. Don't wake up sleeping assassins that looked like they were having a nightmare.

"Go get some coffee. I'll clean it up." Wanda said suddenly, causing both men to jerk their heads up and look at her as she slowly slid out from behind Clint and into the room. She was slow, her movements gentle. She practically waltzed past Bucky without a second thought. Bucky had instantly tensed up, turning his back towards the wall. Clint made a mental note that Bucky didn't seem to like anyone behind him. He also made a mental note of thanking Wanda. She knew that Bucky wouldn't be getting anymore sleep. She also knew that Clint probably wouldn't go back to sleep. So cleaning up the glass and letting Clint calm Bucky down was a rather good idea. 

Bucky looked hesitant as Clint moved out of the doorway to let him pass. Clint made sure to keep his hands were Bucky could see them at all times. He could still see that flight or fight look in his eyes. One sudden movement could have him panicking, and that was something Clint wanted to avoid at all costs.

"There's also cookie dough in the fridge. Clint and I were going to make cookies yesterday but the oven needs to be fixed." Wanda called out, once again providing a distraction as she carefully swept up the glass using her fingers. The oven had been old and had finally given out the day before. There were no cookies to be had, which made Clint sad. With stuff like this she usually used her powers to get the job done in seconds, hey it was good practice, but she knew that wouldn't have been the best idea. She was a smart girl. With a sudden raise of her head Wanda smile at Bucky, who had once again shifted his attention to her. "Go on, I'm fine doing this." She said, convincing him to go with Clint. 

Bucky looked very hesitant but once Clint started to head to the stairwell he seemed to have made up his mind. He slowly followed Clint down the stairs, staying a safe distance away from him as they made their way into the kitchen. Bucky's heavy footsteps were almost comforting. The moment they were in the kitchen Clint made a move to the pantry where the precious coffee was kept. Wanda had gone out and grabbed a few more containers after realizing Bucky was a coffee freak as well. As Clint moved to dump some of the grounds into the coffee machine Bucky spoke.

"This is a bad idea. This leaving me with you and Wanda was a bad idea. I should have stayed with Steve. I should have stayed with T'Challa." Bucky's voice came through quietly and half muffled, thanks to the fact Clint had only one hearing aide in. Clint turned to look at Bucky then, thankful that he could at least hear the other male speak. "What was I thinking? Should have stayed with T'Challa. Can't hurt anyone there."

Clint instantly furrowed his brows and turned away from Bucky for a moment, finishing up with the coffee before he turned yet again, this time facing him. He leaned against the counter as he slowly crossed his arms against his chest. "Why didn't you stay with T'Challa?" Clint asked, blue eyes focusing on Bucky's greyish ones. Bucky held his gaze for a moment before looking away. 

"I felt.... wrong. That I shouldn't have been there. He did so much for Steve and I... He even made me a arm." As if on cue Bucky looked down and flexed his metal fingers that could just barely be seen thanks to his sweatshirt. "A nice arm." He added before looking back up a Clint. "Something told me that I just shouldn't be there though. Steve didn't want me to leave, neither did T'Challa... but I did. I wanted to leave and they let me. Steve made me come here though."

"Do you have the same feeling here that you did in Wakanda?" Clint asked, not moving an inch as he stared at Bucky. The coffee machine behind him began to work its magic but he completely ignored it. 

Bucky seemed to hesitate before answering. "No... I don't... I feel more welcomed here. The air is easier. I don't feel... I don't feel like I shouldn't be here." As Bucky spoke he reached his hand up and rubbed the back of his head. It seemed hard for him to get the words out, as if he was struggling on just talking to Clint like a normal person. He avoided his eyes. There would be a moment were they would connect and Clint would see the look that could only be described as a lost puppy look before Bucky quickly looked away again.

"Then this isn't a bad idea. Steve did a good thing bringing you here." Clint responded, his words firm. Bucky looked a tad shocked at that. Like he didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence Bucky said the things that Clint had been half expecting him to say. 

"What if I revert back to the soldier Clint? I could kill you both in your sleep and you wouldn't see it coming." Bucky looked almost panicked. His eyes connected with Clint's again but this time held the gaze. He was scared. Scared that he would hurt Wanda or him. Clint instantly felt his heart start to crumple. Bucky wasn't an assassin. He wasn't a weapon. He wasn't a killing machine the papers wrote him out to be. He was a scared man. A man who didn't understand why his life ended up this way. A man who was at war with himself. A man that was scared to death that he would hurt someone without meaning to.

There were so many things Clint wanted to do in that moment. He wanted to hug Bucky. Tell him that it would be alright. That he wouldn't revert back to the winter soldier. He wanted to run his hands through his messy and tangled hair and tell him that he would protect him. Fuck, he just wanted to protect him. He wanted to cup his cheeks, look into the blue-grey eyes, and tell him that he would never let anyone touch him again. All those things were very bad ideas though, and as Clint felt his heart clench for the man in front of him he gave a cocky smile and a tilt of the head. 

"I'll make a bet with you. If you can make it into room any night this week without waking me up then we'll talk about what if. If you can't then I want you to drop it." Clint responded, not surprised to see the shock on Bucky's face when he did. There was a few moment's of silence before he got a response.

"Clint, I'm an assassin. Or was. I can do that with my eyes closed."

"And I'm a deaf man with nightmares that keep him up all night. You won't make it three steps into my room before I have an arrow pointed three inches from your face." Clint snapped back, his tone firm but playful as he continued to stare at Bucky, who seemed a bit shocked. It was clear that Bucky wasn't expecting that kind of a response. Just then the coffee machine dinged, telling the two that it was time for their coffee addiction to get slightly worse. Clint turned around and opened a cupboard, grabbing two mugs as soon as his eyes focused on them. One was his purple mug with the black target, the other was a all black mug. He poured the coffee into the mugs quickly and handed Bucky the black one when he was done. "Coffee?"

Bucky stared at him for a few moments, eyes unreadable as his eyes locked onto Clint's. For a moment Clint thought he had overstepped his boundaries. Then suddenly Bucky reached out, took the mug, and gave a small smile as he took a sip. "I'll take that bet." He said softly, obviously doubting Clint's abilities. 

"I knew you would. Now sit down so I can lay out some ground rules for you. We don't want this to turn into a full on war, now do we?" As he spoke he gave Bucky a wink, showing that he was joking about the war remark.

He could have sworn Bucky had just barely blushed as he sat down and hid his face behind his mug.


	4. Rules and Curses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"I can't believe you've been up all night waiting for me."**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> "I can't believe you seriously thought I wouldn't be up all night waiting for you."
> 
> "You're insane."
> 
> "Why be sane in a insane world?"
> 
> Clint lays down some ground rules for their bet and Bucky underestimates his skills. The first night Bucky tries to sneak into Clint's room shows him that Clint isn't helpless without a bow and arrow and his hearing. It also shows him that Clint is one scary motherfucker when he needs to be.

"Rule one, don't fuck with Wanda."

There was no need for explanations on the first rule Clint gave. Wanda wasn't in their bet and they both knew that she could easily flick Bucky through a wall with a flick of her wrist if she really wanted to. She could also actually get some sleep, unlike them, and it would be unfair to sneak into her room and wake her up. Most of the time she slept like a rock, so Clint wasn't really worried about waking her up with their antics at night. Plus if Bucky was really going to go winter soldier on them he would probably drift to Clint's room first, giving Wanda enough time to wake up and respond if she needed to. She did sleep like a rock, but if Clint let out any kind of yell during the night she was by his side in mere seconds.

"Rule two, hand combat only."

That was another rule that didn't need to be explained. Clint used his bow and arrows and Bucky was all too familiar with a sniper rifle. Now Clint didn't see a gun when Steve dropped Bucky off, but he knew better than that. Plus Wanda found the gun case under her bed one day while cleaning. Clint was confused as to why Bucky would hide his gun in Wanda's room, but then he realized. He would have to get through two people to get to it that way, one of which having powers. Bucky was a smart man. Now the rule may have been a bit unfair considering that Bucky had a arm that could punch through walls like a knife cuts through butter, but Clint didn't want to risk a stray arrow or bullet. He also didn't want to fill in arrow and bullet holes. 

"Rule three, if Wanda tells us to knock it off, we knock it off."

Bucky had looked a bit confused at this rule, opening his mouth to speak as he stared at Clint. Wanda had taken that moment to come downstairs then, using her powers to keep all the broken glass together before she simply flung it into the trash can. She didn't even have to leave the stairwell to do it. She looked at the two men, Clint not even batting an eye while Bucky had snapped his mouth shut, and waved before heading back up stairs. Most likely heading back to bed. 

"Wanda says knock it off, we knock it off." Clint repeated, reminding Bucky without words that Wanda had a say in what happened under this roof as well. If they didn't listen to her they would be sitting with that glass in the trash can.

"Fair enough." Bucky had responded, obviously not doubting Wanda's abilities at all. Clint was a little peeved at that but he understood why.

"Rule four. It stays in the house." 

"Wait, why would you want it to stay in the house? We could break something." As he spoke Bucky furrowed his eyebrows, obviously not understanding why Clint would possibly risk his new walls for their bet. Clint merely arched a brow. 

"Because, Buck, we have neighbors. They're not right next door to us, but if they ever decide to come over and see me wrestling a guy with a metal, is that even metal, arm they'll probably be alarmed." Clint explained, looking at Bucky's fingers then to see if he could tell what his arm was made of. Bucky suddenly shifted uncomfortably, eyebrows furrowing as he gave a look that could be described as discust.

"Don't call me Buck." Bucky suddenly said, his body a bit tense. Clint was taken back by this. Steve always called him Buck, but then again that's probably why Bucky didn't want him doing it. Clint almost instantly felt bad. He quickly corrected himself.

"Because, James, I don't want my neighbors freaking the fuck out on us. I put to much work into this house to move." Clint responded, half wondering if he had made the right call by calling Bucky by his first name. He tensed up a bit as waited for Bucky's reaction.

Bucky didn't know how to react to that. He stared at Clint for a few moments, the silence heavy and thick around them. His eyes would flick about the room, his gaze sometimes snapping onto Clint's as he sat there. After a few moments of silence he spoke. "I don't like..." Clint cut him off, thinking he had just fucked up.

"Sorry, sorry. Bucky it is then. I didn't mean.." Clint was surprised when Bucky suddenly cut him off, snapping a bit as he did. 

"I don't like it when most people call me James. I don't want Wanda calling me James. I don't want Steve calling me James. I don't want anyone calling me James, expect for you." Bucky ignored the look of shock Clint gave him as he continued. "When we're in front of others it's Bucky. When it's just you and me it's Bucky or James." Clint stared at Bucky for a few seconds. He then quickly nodded, showing he understood. Bucky leaned back in the kitchen chair he was sitting on. "Is there another rule?"

"No. We only need four."

 

**\---**

 

"Fuck. Fucking fuck." 

Bucky had seriously doubted Clint's skills. To the point where the other male had completely dominated Bucky the first night. He didn't know what he was expecting, but Clint literally wrapping his thighs around his neck then flipping them both over onto the floor was not it. How the hell did he even manage to get up there? His head only came up to Bucky's shoulder after all. He didn't know, and he didn't question it. He did change his game plan though. The second night didn't go well either. Clint had kicked Bucky out of the second story window. Thankfully Bucky had managed to grab onto the gutter to stop his fall. He pretty much ripped the entire thing off the side of the house but it needed to be replaced anyways. And the third night, which was tonight, had only ended with Clint straddling Bucky at the bottom of the stairs. 

"That's a lot of fucks Buck-James." Clint had said, softly panting as he stared down at the other male, waiting for him to make another move. Bucky didn't know how much he liked Clint saying his first name until he actually did it. Sometimes he would slip up and say Bucky, but would quickly correct it after. Bucky felt somewhat important when Clint did that. He was actually listening to his wants. 

"I think you gave me a concussion." Bucky said, eyes locked on Clint for a moment as he spoke. He had woken Clint up this time, and had felt bad about it up until Clint practically rode him down the stairs during their struggle. Clint hadn't been wearing a shirt. Just purple sweatpants that looked like they were in danger of coming off his hips. He also didn't have his hearing aides in. Which meant he had to stare directly at Bucky in order to see what he was saying. 

Bucky had a feeling deep in his stomach at that. And he knew exactly what it was. Half of him wanted to hide away from Clint completely, the other half wanting to stare at him until the sun came up. 

"If I gave you a concussion you would know." Clint responded. Bucky smiled, laughing softly at that and Clint gave a weird facial expression for a split second. Bucky wanted to know why he pulled that face. He also wanted to see it again. 

Bucky didn't make any movements to buck Clint off of him. He hadn't said the safe word yet. Yup, they had decided they needed a safe word to stop the fighting if one of them gave up. Wanda came up with it. It was unicorns. Unicorns was their safe word. And Clint hadn't said it even once yet. Since Bucky hadn't said it yet they were still in the fight. Just taking a small breather as they recovered from the stairs. It was a miracle that Wanda hadn't woken up. Or maybe she had and just didn't want to deal with them this early in the morning. "Sorry I woke you up." Bucky found himself saying. 

"Huh? Oh. I wasn't asleep. I've been up all night because I knew you would be coming sooner or later." Clint responded, giving a shrug of his shoulders as he did. Bucky did a double take, eyes slightly wide. He had tried to get some sleep before bothering Clint. When he had finally given up on resting he merely headed to Clint's room. He shook his head and scoffed slightly. 

"I can't believe you've been up all night waiting for me." Bucky found himself saying, eyes glued Clint now. The other male gave a raised brow. 

"I can't believe you seriously thought I wouldn't be up all night waiting for you." Clint had responded, scoffing a bit himself. He adjusted his sitting position on Bucky's abdomen. Yup he was still straddling him. Sitting on him now. Bucky wasn't complaining. In fact he was more than happy to have a shirtless Clint sitting on him. He had to keep himself from roaming his eyes all over him. Hell he had slid his hand under his lower back for a moment because he wanted to run his finger across a scar that went across Clint's hip. It was no secret that Bucky was bisexual. Steve had known all along. He was still coming to terms with the fact that he could freely love, and fuck, another man without worrying about going to jail though. 

Since HYDRA Bucky hadn't really thought about getting together with anyone. He hadn't really paid attention to how attractive people where. He had just not cared. But Clint... Clint reminded him of Steve before the serum. The moment he first laid eyes on him Bucky knew he had been in trouble. Blonde hair, wicked blue eyes that were so determined and a heart of gold that made Bucky's knees physically weak. Bucky was attracted to Clint. He was so attracted to Clint it wasn't even funny. He had been attracted to Steve back then as well. Even before the serum. Neither Bucky or Steve would admit if their relationship went past friendship though. 

"You're insane." Bucky found himself saying as he swallowed a knot in his throat. He reminded himself that he didn't even know if Clint wasn't straight. He had heard stories of a ex-fiance called Laura but that didn't tell him anything. 

"Why be sane in a insane world?" Clint said, suddenly leaning forward. He brought his hand up and gently poked Bucky's nose with his index finger as he gave him a goofy smile. Bucky was done then. So very done. Clint needed to be off his abdomen asap or else there would be a third party rising to the occasion. 

"Fucking unicorns." 

 


	5. Wakandon't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"You're afraid of T'Challa?"**
> 
>  
> 
> "I was never a big fan of cats to begin with. So imagine my ever lasting joy when a man literally named after a giant fucking cat decided to shove his claws right into my ass."
> 
> "That is a image I will never get out of my mind."
> 
> "Go fuck yourself bird brain."
> 
>  
> 
> Wanda finds a stray cat and Bucky is not thrilled about it. A discussion about why Bucky isn't happy about said cat starts and Clint ends up with some decent blackmail material. If he ever needs to use it.

 

It was raining. There wasn't many other words Clint could come up with to describe how their day was going. It had been pouring since early that morning, around three am to be exact, and it didn't show signs of stopping any time soon. It would have been helpful to know the forecast, but Clint had a strict no cable TV rule that neither Wanda or Bucky seemed to want to break. None of the three had smart phones either. Wanda had a normal flip phone that was decorated with random stickers, most of which were bird related. She seemed more interested in horses and spending time staring at Bucky then worrying about text messages or calls. Clint, on the other hand, had one of those phones that slid up to give access to a keyboard. It was all black except for a small arrow sticker on the back. Wanda was to thank for that one. He relied on texting thanks to the fact he didn't always have his hearing aides on him. And Bucky... did Bucky even have a phone? Steve mentioned something about calling him when he dropped the ice cube of death off, but Clint had never actually seen it. And besides, Bucky didn't seem like a talk over the phone kind of guy. It was rather easy to see why they never knew the weather forecast. Maybe one day they would get smartphones, but that day wasn't in the near future. 

 Wanda had wanted to go out riding the day before, but it was a guarantee that wasn't happening now. The horses seemed to like the rain as much Clint did. 

 And for those who don't know how much Clint likes the rain here's a spoiler alert. 

 He fucking hates it. 

 They avoided going out as much as possible. Wanda had tried to ride them in the rain before. She came back muddy with a look of pure death on her face. That was the day that Clint discovered horses could be as stubborn as he was at times. He wasn't going to lie, the thought about owning a horse that had the same personality as he did sounded really entertaining. Though he doubted that Wanda would find it as funny as he would. Plus there was no guarantee that a horse they bought would be like him. With their luck they could buy a super saiyan horse that would decided to destroy the universe because one of them forgot to feed it carrots. 

 The mere thought of an evil horse put Clint off getting one even more. Much to Wanda's dismay. 

 But yeah, the horses the neighbors owned hated the rain and so did Clint. So he tried to stay inside as much as possible as the storm passed, which was working out quite well. Bucky had eventually given up trying sneak up on him, and while Clint was sad that his nightly entertainment was gone he also knew that neither him or Bucky were getting enough sleep when it was going on. Plus Wanda was getting really tired of waking up and finding both Clint and Bucky passed out at the kitchen table after getting some peace treaty coffee. So he and Bucky had been spending their time awake fixing up the house. When neither could sleep at night they would quietly talk about what they needed to finish over late night coffee. They were currently painting the upstairs walls, focusing on the hallway for now. Wanda had picked a cream color that Clint had sworn was a very soft pink. Bucky said it was a soft yellow. They had spent the past three hours painting and arguing over what color it was when Wanda stormed in through the front door. 

 Neither male had even realized she had left the house. In fact they hadn't even noticed she left her room. Had they really been that deep in their color discussion?

 "Clint! Get me a towel!" Wanda yelled from the downstairs. There was a moment of silence as Clint moved to set his paint brush down, Bucky mirroring his confused expression as he looked towards the stairs. Then Wanda spoke again. "Actually... get me two towels!" 

 "Two? Just how hard is it raining out there? And how long was she gone for? Where did she even go?" Clint found himself asking, mostly himself, as he moved to the small closet that was located between his and Wanda's bedrooms. Bucky pretty much shrugged the questions off as he turned his head back to the wall, and continued to paint without a care in the world. 

 And he would have continued his carefree if it wasn't for the loud inhuman screeching and stream of curses from Wanda that came from the downstairs a mere second later. Both Clint and Bucky froze, Bucky with a paint brush in his hand and Clint with two soft purple towels in his, before they dropped everything they were holding and practically trampled over each other in their rush down the stairs. Neither had any weapons on them, but they sure as hell would do some major damage to whoever hurt their precious witch.

 Though once at the bottom the sight that greeted them instantly melted away the worry that they would have to kill whoever touched Wanda. It also made Clint nearly double over in laughter. What made him hold that laughter was the look of pure murder on Wanda's face, and the look of pure regret on Bucky's. 

 Wanda was standing there, sopping wet. She had gone out in the rain in her fluffy black pj's that now looked very uncomfortable. Her hair was completely flat against her head and dripping as if the mighty Poseidon himself decided to try his hand at styling hair for day. She had her hand raised, the red smoke-like substance that always showed up whenever she used her powers swirling in the air as she looked at the two men. Half of it was around her hand, while the other half was around a small black and white kitten that looked completely mind fucked as it sat there floating in mid air. Angry red scratch marks were all over Wanda's hands, only adding to her pissed off appearance. It was easy to tell what happened. The poor half drowned kitten that Wanda had magically found had gone psycho for one reason or another. And what else was Wanda to do but hold the kitten five feet away from her using her powers? There was a long moment of silence between the four of them.

 "That better not be a fucking cat." Bucky suddenly said, his shoulders tensing for an entirely different reason then the one before. 

 "It is a cat and his name is Harold." Wanda responded, a slight twitch to her right eye as she spoke. Clint knew that twitch. It was not a good twitch.

 "Ok, first off I'm not living with a fucking cat. Second off what kind of name is Harold?" Bucky had shot back. For a moment Clint thought that Wanda would launch the cat at Bucky using her powers by the pissed off look on her face. 

 Clint quickly took a few steps away from Bucky. He did not want to be caught in a game of _throw the drenched cat around and see if it claws your eyeballs out_.

 "Well, Mr. Barnes...." Wanda said, her voice tense. Based on Bucky's reaction he had no idea how to react to Wanda calling him that. "You are living with a 'fucking' cat because I found him and I already fell in love with him so deal with it. And his name is Harold unless you have a better one." With that Wanda threw her head up in a bit of a triumph pose. Take that, ice cube. 

 Things were very tense in the house for Barton's adorable strays for a few moments. Clint really thought he was going to have to pry a cat off the ceiling at some point during said silence. 

 "Reaper." Bucky said, his shoulders relaxing as he gave his own look of triumph. 

 "No! That's too creepy!" Wanda instantly remarked, shaking her head and scrunching up her nose as she did. "Francis." 

 "Death." 

 "Xavier."

 "Shadow."

 "Ralph."

 "Night."

 "Louis."

 "Skull."

 "Howard!"

 This went on for a solid ten minutes. Clint stood there the entire time wondering how his life came to this. One moment he being introduced into the avengers, then he was shooting down aliens, then he was dealing with a crazy robot, then he was fighting with his own team mates over a ninety year old ice cube and now he was standing in between two of the most dangerous people on planet Earth as they argued about cat names. He hadn't even gotten a say in if they were keeping the cat or not! He really wanted to bang his head against the back of the leather couch in that moment. Eventually Clint came back to his senses and he looked between Wanda and Bucky for a moment. 

 "Cheerio." He suddenly said. Both Wanda and Bucky went silent as they stared at him. It was a very awkward silence for Clint. He was sure they were going to instantly reject that idea and go off on another ten minute name argument. To his relief, or horror depending on how you look at it, they didn't. 

 They looked at Clint, they looked at the cat. They looked back at Clint. Then they looked at each other. 

 "Cheerio. His name is Cheerio and we are keeping him." Wanda said. Clint didn't know if he should be happy that she agreed with his name or upset because that meant it would be even harder to say no to keeping it. Clint had never owned a cat before. 

"His name is Cheerio and he's going right back where you found him because I'm not dealing with another cat." Bucky had responded. Clint put his head in his hands for a moment because he realized that they were indeed keeping the cat at this point. What did cats even eat besides tuna and milk? Wait could they even have milk? He swore he read somewhere that it was just a myth. 

"What is with you and cats?! Why do you hate them?" Wanda asked, shifting a bit as she did. When she did this she caused Cheerio to move. Poor Cheerio was flailing his little black paws as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. Eventually he just gave up and accepted his fate of being held in the air by some unseen force. This was his life now. 

Cheerio really was a bad name for a cat. Well at least for this cat in particular Clint realized. Cheerio was all white expect for his paws, ears, tip of his tail and a small spot by his noise. Those were black, giving him a rather strange appearance. Bucky had been more on point with the names. But Clint didn't think that calling a cat 'destruction' or 'devil' would be appropriate. Imagine calling one of those out in the middle of the night when you're looking for the fluff ball.

"Because the last time I had to deal with a cat I ended up loosing my arm!" Bucky retorted, lifting his vibranium arm up as if to make a point. Clint furrowed his brows as his mind slowly realized exactly what Bucky was saying. 

"Wait..." Clint said, causing both Wanda and Bucky to look at him. "You're afraid of T'Challa?" The look of pure hate on Bucky was enough to make Clint crack a smile. He really had to hold it together when Wanda started laughing right then and there. Poor Cheerio with her magically grasp as she did. 

After a long moment of silence from Bucky, and a fit of giggles from Wanda, the male finally spoke back. "I was never a big fan of cats to begin with. So imagine my ever lasting joy when a man literally named after a giant fucking cat decided to shove his claws right into my ass!" Bucky snapped, grumbling as he did. He would have been threatening if it wasn't for the fact his hair was pulled back in a very messy bun and he had pink, or yellow, paint flecked all over his all black outfit and face. That may have been Clint's fault. Clint wouldn't admit to it though.

"That is a image I will never get out of my mind." Clint laughed, unable to hold it back now, shaking his head as he did. Wanda had to press herself against the wall and put Cheerio down on the ground she was laughing so hard. Clint would have felt back for Bucky but the other male was clearly color blind so he didn't feel all that bad. Bucky scrunched up his nose, giving him a look that was way to adorable for comfort. 

"Go fuck yourself bird brain." He growled out, only causing Wanda to laugh even harder. Clint could only smirk because he had to come up with a response that was no inappropriate for Wanda's ears. Yeah she was a adult but she was basically Clint's daughter at this point. Actually Clint was pretty sure Wanda had told the neighbors that he was, in fact, her dad. Clint really had no issue with it. 

"I would but..." Clint slowly moved over to where Cheerio, who was seriously questioning all his life choices up to that moment, was and picked him up. He cuddled him close to his chest and rubbed his head with one finger. Cheerio almost instantly began to purr, his little black ears flicking as he did. Yup, Clint was already in love with him. Goddammit Clint stop taking in strays. "But I have a cat and a Wanda I need to dry off." He then gave Bucky a wink before he headed up the stairs. 

Wanda eventually followed him, snorting and giggling all the way. Bucky stayed downstairs, his arms now crossed and his face in a massive pout. Clint had forced himself not to look back at him because he knew he would have lost it if he did.  

"I'm going to live in the barn so I don't have to deal with you two and that cat!" He shouted up at them. 

Clint shook his head and laughed as he moved to pick up the towels he had dropped on the floor in his rush to get downstairs to Wanda. "You'd be back within a day! The barn has spiders and mice in it!" He quickly wrapped one of them around Cheerio and began to dry him off. Clint didn't register what Bucky said in response when he realized the small kitten had bright green eyes. 

That fact made him shiver. 

He really needed to get over Loki. This was just a cat. A cat with normal green eyes. It wasn't even the same color as Loki's. God why was he still hung up over him? It had been a few years since then. He should be **fine**. He should **be** -

"Oh! I knew this orange color would look great on the walls!" Wanda's voice suddenly snapped Clint out of his thoughts. He had been staring into Cheerio's eyes the entire time, his hands slightly trembling. He tilted his head up just in time to hear Bucky let out a scream of frustration. 

"IT. IS. YELLOW."

Suddenly everything was alright again, and the thought of Loki was completely gone from Clint's head once more. Cheerio gave a small meow, basically telling Clint to hurry up with the drying, and Clint sighed in response. Just how many more strays was he going to take in before the house was even complete? 


End file.
